1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to a method and apparatus for spatial error concealment of an image, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for restoring a block having an error by adaptively performing spatial error concealment according to information on a plurality of neighboring regions of the block.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to image compression standards (such as Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding (AVC)), an image is encoded by using intra (I) pictures, predictive (P) pictures, and bipredictive (B) pictures.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional image sequence. Referring to FIG. 1, I pictures are periodically generated at regular temporal intervals. Each I picture is generated by independently encoding a picture using spatial redundancies of the picture regardless of temporally previous or subsequent pictures. Motion estimation for removing temporal redundancies is not performed and the encoding is performed only by using information of the picture.
A P or B picture is generated by performing inter prediction between pictures. In particular, the P or B picture is generated by performing inter prediction between pictures using an I picture, another P picture, or another B picture as a reference picture, so as to remove the temporal redundancies.
Error concealment includes spatial error concealment and temporal error concealment. If a block having an error (i.e., a missing block) is detected while the P or B picture is being decoded and restored, the missing block is restored by performing the temporal error concealment according to H.264/AVC standards.
However, if the missing block is detected while the I picture is being decoded and restored, the missing block is restored by performing the spatial error concealment. The spatial error concealment includes directional interpolation performed in consideration of an edge angle of the missing block and bilinear interpolation performed without consideration of the edge angle of the missing block.
According to the H.264/AVC standards, only bilinear interpolation is used for the spatial error concealment. The bilinear interpolation will now be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 illustrates a conventional method of bilinear interpolation. Referring to FIG. 2, when a missing block 210 is to be restored, each pixel 212 of the missing block 210 is restored by performing the bilinear interpolation. Assuming that a pixel 212 is to be restored, the bilinear interpolation is performed by using pixels 222 and 224 included in neighboring regions in a vertical direction of the missing block 210 and do not have an error, and pixels 226 and 228 included in neighboring regions in a horizontal direction of the missing block 210 and do not have an error.
Furthermore, the bilinear interpolation is performed by setting weights according to respective distances from the pixel 212 to the pixels 222, 224, 226, and 228 of the neighboring regions.
If the missing block 210 is restored by performing the bilinear interpolation according to the H.264/AVC standards as described above, the missing block 210 is linearly interpolated without consideration of edge angles of the neighboring regions. As a result, blocking artifacts may occur. Also, if the missing block 210 is restored only by performing the above-mentioned directional interpolation, unnecessary edges not included in an original block may be included in the restored block.
If the blocking artifacts or the unnecessary edges occur in an I picture, an error is propagated to P or B pictures that refer to the I picture. Thus, a whole image sequence may be seriously distorted.